Tom,

Two way freight cars are interesting.

Regarding CLE and L&R, the January 1938 ORER lists neither reporting mark. The high numbers (CLE #50270) and (L&R #80059), however, may narrow down the options.

Was there any reefer having the number of #50270? From a brief scan of the private owner section of the 1/1938 ORER, only FGEX, PFE and URTX had 50270's. Maybe some RR owned a #50270 reefer.

Regarding boxcar L&R #80059, the only RR having marks starting with L&_ with as high a number as #80029 was the L&N, and their #80029 was a gondola.

Beyond that, I cannot narrow down the possibilities - it looks like you can chalk these up as "unknowns."

Tim Gilbert

Thomas Baker wrote:

This might interest someone. It is a freight train on the Chicago Great Western on March 15, 1938, operating from Rochester, Minnesota, to McIntire, Iowa, where the cars would be picked up by mainline CGW freights destined for Kansas City, Council Bluffs, or Chicago.

Engine # 602, a Consolidation with a road tender [most CGW Consols had clear-vision tenders]
Caboose # 63

road car number from station to station contents car type

CGW 24916 Goodhue Oelwein company materials box
ART 17887 Rochester K C empty refrig CGW 10685 Rochester Chicago cattle stock
CGW 10613 Rochester Chicago cattle stock
MILW 701499 Rochester way freight merchandise box
CGW 3763 Goodhue Ostrander company materials [unclear]
CLE 50270 Rochester Osage empty refrig [reporting marks unclear]
UTLX 22003 Winona Des Moines empty tank
DRX 6403 Winona KC empty tank C&NW 129124 Winona Ingalton flour box
L&R 80059 Winona Ingalton flour box
C&EI 64004 Winona Chicago barley box
SRLX 1631 Winona Chicago meat refrig
SRLX 18392 Winona Bellewood meat refrig
SRLX 19081 Winona Chicago meat refrig
C&NW 36488 Winona KC paper box
L&R 70340 Winona Omaha paper box
WRX 9232 Winona Omaha cheese refrig
WRX 10004 Winona Omaha canned goods refrig
PHD 1357 Bethany, MN Bellewood empty box
FGEX 34642 Winona Randolph, MN empty refrig
PM 89161 Winona St. Paul cement box
CGW 43048 Winona way frt merchandise box

The reporting marks, if I made them out correctly, L&R are unclear to me as are those of the refrigerator car CLE or whatever that is. Anyone have an idea?